Void Cultivation-Chapter 210-

"Come, let’s go."

The middle-aged man patted Grey on the shoulder before taking to the skies. His expression was carefree and amicable, as if this were nothing more than a casual stroll. Grey also rose into the air and followed after him, deliberately keeping a short distance behind.

As he watched the middle-aged man continue to fly higher and higher, Grey couldn’t help but entertain a bizarre thought.

This person was... incredibly similar to the captain.

It wasn’t just the mannerisms. Even through the disguise, there were subtle hints in the way the man carried himself, his posture, his rhythm, even the way he moved his hands. Grey could clearly see traces of her behavior reflected in the middle-aged man. After realizing this, a strange glint flashed through Grey’s eyes.

But he suppressed it the very next second, his expression returning to its usual calm.

Before long, they had already flown over two thousand meters and were still ascending. The air grew thinner, colder, and more oppressive with each passing moment. Grey said nothing the entire time, silently following the middle-aged man while maintaining an unhurried pace.

When the middle-aged man noticed this, he merely smiled and continued flying.

Inwardly, however, he was panicking.

’What’s wrong with him? Why isn’t he saying anything? Has he already realized? No, no... that’s impossible.’

’My disguise is extremely powerful. Even Spirit Core Formation experts wouldn’t be able to detect anything amiss. Much less a cultivator who’s still only in the Foundation Establishment realm.’

Naturally, the middle-aged man was none other than the captain in disguise. She had completely hidden her presence and cultivation base, suppressing them so thoroughly that she was utterly unrecognizable.

’With my strength of two spirit fires..’ the captain thought smugly. ’... I can bully little Grey as much as I like.’

Soon, after ascending several more thousand meters, the two of them entered the clouds. The surrounding world grew hazy, the mountain peaks below vanishing beneath a sea of white mist. As they broke through the clouds, Grey spotted a cave abode ahead.

The cave abode was carved directly into the mountain wall. In front of it was a wide, flat platform that stretched outward, extending over the edge of the mountain like a suspended terrace.

When they were less than a thousand meters away, a low, aged voice suddenly echoed from within the cave abode.

"Is this the person the array formation sensed?"

The moment the voice reached his ears, Grey felt as if a massive mountain had slammed directly into his mind. His vision blurred, and a terrifying pressure surged through his consciousness. He staggered backward mid-air, his breathing growing erratic as a strange wave of power crashed over him.

In shock, Grey retreated several steps. His face turned visibly pale.

This is... a Spirit Core Formation expert! he exclaimed inwardly.

The pressure alone was overwhelming. Compared to this presence, Grey felt that his own power was laughably insignificant, like a candle before a raging inferno.

The middle-aged man nodded solemnly.

Silence reigned within the cave abode for several long moments. Then, a soft sigh rang out, carrying an indescribable weight of age and experience.

"Bring out your Jade Slip."

Grey hurriedly retrieved his Jade Slip. Before he could even extend his hand fully, a gentle yet irresistible force swept it from his grasp and drew it toward the cave abode.

Several moments passed.

Then the Jade Slip suddenly flew back out. Its speed was astonishing as it shot straight toward Grey. Seeing this, Grey frowned slightly. Just as he was about to stretch out his hand to catch it, the Jade Slip abruptly stopped several inches from his face.

The force guiding it completely dissipated, leaving the Jade Slip floating quietly in mid-air.

Moments later, the aged voice spoke again.

"You have now been registered as a Foundation Establishment realm disciple of the Third Sequence. After opening twenty-five nodes and manifesting your first ball of spirit fire, you are qualified to live on the mountain."

The voice paused briefly before continuing.

"For a fee, of course. He will now show you some cave abodes you may choose from. Afterward, you may select a cultivation art from the Technique Gallery."

After saying this, the voice fell silent.

Grey slowly bowed toward the cave abode, showing proper respect, before following the middle-aged man away.

Once they had gone far enough, the aged voice gazed at the departing figure of the middle-aged man, who was, in truth, the captain in disguise, and sighed.

"What a headache..."

Then, his gaze shifted briefly toward Grey, and a strange expression flickered across his face. Soon after, his divine sense withdrew back into the cave abode, and he resumed cultivation.

As they flew away, the middle-aged man scratched his head and spoke casually.

"That was one of the elders of the Third Sequence, Elder Derek. He prefers closed-door cultivation and only comes out when summoned by the Sequence Lords or the Sect Master."

Grey said nothing and merely nodded.

Seeing this, the middle-aged man sighed with emotion.

"Little Grey, you really should learn to express your emotions sometimes. Let me tell you something, those old monsters aren’t actually that old. They just secluded themselves for too long and turned into the old fogies we see today."

As he spoke, he rubbed his nose, his hand clenching as if he wanted to retrieve something from his storage bag. In the end, however, he restrained himself.

Grey pretended not to notice. He also pretended not to hear the fact that the middle-aged man had just called him Little Grey.

Seeing Grey remain silent, the captain grew increasingly convinced that Grey had noticed something suspicious. Worried, she quickly led him to the first cave abode at the foot of the mountain.

This cave abode wasn’t particularly large, but it was situated near the edge of a cliff. A circular stone platform extended outward, and standing there allowed one to see the vast expanse of the mountain sloping downward below.

Grey entered and briefly inspected the interior. He said nothing, only nodding once.

"How much?" he asked.

The middle-aged man didn’t beat around the bush and directly named the price.

Without another word, Grey retrieved the required spirit stones from his storage bag and handed them over.

"Although I prefer magic ships, I suppose living in a cave abode isn’t too bad," Grey suddenly remarked.

The middle-aged man pretended not to hear and turned to leave.

Just as he was about to go, however, he coughed lightly.

"I almost forgot, you haven’t selected any cultivation art from Sky Mist yet."

As he spoke, he produced a Jade Slip and handed it to Grey.

"This contains a list of cultivation arts suitable for Foundation Establishment realm cultivators. Once you’ve made your choice, you can head to the Technique Gallery and obtain it yourself."

He resisted the urge to reach into his storage bag again and promptly departed.

Grey watched the retreating figure, a strange expression appearing on his face. He had already realized that the middle-aged man was actually the captain in disguise. Still, since she clearly had her reasons, he chose not to pursue the matter further.

Turning his attention away, Grey began cleaning the cave abode.

With a casual wave of his hand, a cold stream of energy surged forth, sweeping away accumulated dust and grime. The frigid current flowed through every corner of the cave abode, leaving the rooms spotless.

Afterward, Grey began organizing his belongings. He didn’t have much, but he carefully placed each item into the appropriate rooms. Fortunately, the cave abode was surprisingly spacious, providing ample room.

Once that was done, Grey started setting up several simple array formations both inside and outside the cave abode. First came a protective array, followed by a concealment array to hide its presence.

Only after completing these preparations did Grey feel somewhat satisfied.

He finally sat down cross-legged and took out the Jade Slip the captain had given him, slowly immersing his divine sense into it to examine the cultivation arts within.